Pay extra for higher quality Video to DVD Transfer

Quality Enhancement

Price:
£10.00

Quantity:

£10 per tape. Eg if you have 3 tapes then put '3' in the Quanitity field.

Why old analog tapes like Betamax 8mm / VHS to DVD needs Enhancement

If you are quality conscious then you should really consider paying the extra £10 for the transfer of old analog formats like Umatic, Hi8, Betamax VHS to DVD and 8mm to DVD.VHS really benefits from this more than any other tape format as VHS and 8mm is only arand 240 lines of resolution whereas TV is 625 lines.

As you know Hi8, 8mm, VHS, VHS-C (compact adaptor tapes) and 8mm tapes tends to go 'bluey' on out door shots and any red colours always 'fizz' on-screen. This is because they are usually over colour saturated and we correct this by attenuating the Chrominance and sometimes injecting colours to oppose the colour we are trying to reduce. It's all quite complicated but using filters like yellow makes the general colours look more natural eg grass looks green instead of cyan and faces look pink instead of that purpley colour that Hi8 produces or that murky grey that 8mm and VHS produces. Special noise filters improve the sound and due to our vast experience over the years we have created templated filters which target the usual noise frequency range of these old analog video formats.

I have my own editing software so do I need enhancement?

Post production software like Final Cut Pro does not negate the need for Enhancement. Eg we clean and de-oxidse the magnetic tape as it passes over our tape heads. This virtually removes all the hairs and debris which could not be done by editing software as you would have to remove each blip and drop out frame-by-frame. It is always best to start with a good quality image rather than transfer the video 'as is' and then decide to tart it up later on with image manipulation software like Final Cut Pro.

If you wish you could just get us to clean and de-oxidise the tape and not even perform any Enhancement. To do this all you need to do is put half the number of tapes in the quantity box. Eg if you have 10 tapes then type '5' in the QUANTITY box. We will then just de-oxidise, clean and lubricate the tapes before transferring them.

How do you enhance my video ?

There are several processes that we can do before, during and after the transfer of your videos to DVD, CD, MPEG or AVI CLIPS.

There are also a few neat gadgets and tricks we use so that we optimise the quality of your video. There are too many to list here but we have detailed a few of them below.

Why Enhance my Videos ?

You will only transfer your videos once, so why not add these few little touches to have supreme quality. Most video tapes are analogue and DVD is a digital format. Once your videos are transferred to digital you will never have any further loss of quality. No one knows what the next format will be but one thing we do know is that it will be digital.

Whether it is a holographic projection or an electronics implant that allows you to view them as if you were there, it will be digital. Everything from a PC to a chip in your sunglasses to a chip in your mobile phone is just a carrier to store digital files. If you get this video transfer from analogue to digital done correctly you will have video footage that can be viewed for hundreds of years, however it may be viewed.

The cost of this service covers all the enhancements listed below for one hour of video tapes. If you have four hours then simply put the amount as four. If you are on a tighter budget and just put the amount as one for the four hours of video footage, we will use this time on the most effected parts of your video tapes to get the optimum results. We will go to great lengths to use the extra time purchased to your best advantage. Please do not purchase more time than there is video footage, we are not miracle workers there is only so much that we can achieve. One hour of time per hour of video tapes is more than enough to get the best results.

What Video Enhancements do you do ?

Video Evaluation

Your videos are watched by a senior technician who will review your videos. He will not contact you to let you know what the assessment was. He will just work out what adjustments need to be made before the transfer begins and the best method for the actual transfer to DVD. All of this is then done without you being disturbed.

Before any of these adjustments are made we clean your videos. We will remove virtually all the dust and debris from the tape. We can not remove any specs or hairs which have been recorded onto the video.

To clean your video tapes we use sticky roller reels more formally called Particle Takeoff Rollers. Each video tape receives a fresh set of two sticky rollers which pull the dust, hairs and other micro debris from the video tape without damaging the actual magnetic tape. Due to the gentle pulling effect that is achieved, there will be no scratches on the surface of the video tape. Our sticky rollers typically remove 70-80% of the debris in a single session. Some debris may remain if it is embedded into the coating of the video tape. This is almost impossible to remove and we never attempt to remove these debris as it may damage the video tape. The odd glitch here and there is better than the risk of damage.

We never employ the cheaper wet system tape cleaning used by most companies as these use chemicals which can weaken or even strip the video tape of its protective coating. This could lead to scratches on the video tape as it is being played. This is not so worrying as you will probably not use the tapes again, however what we found is that these fluids remove chemicals from video tape each time they are played which coated our video heads. After transferring so many videos to DVD such build up over time reduced the quality of the video and caused more head cleaning sessions. Video-to-DVD's dry system is a major benefit and sets us apart from our competitors in the video conversion market

In summary you will only ever need to transfer your videos once so if you can afford this little extra cost then we would suggest you order this video enhancement. Having your videos transferred from analogue to digital will secure that your video archives and family movies will be preserved for many generations.

What customers have said

"Thanks, the Enhancement made a huge difference." Gary Browne - London

"You were correct thanks, I am pleased with the colour corrections you did, the DVDs look so much better. I am surprised that the last company I used didn't offer this as it makes for such a change to the original." Lisa Collins - Manchester

"I couldn't be more pleased with the quality of the transfer. I am currently ploughing my way through the DVDs." Brian Dudley - Wigan

"I have received my order thankyou. Considering what you had to work with I must congratulate you on the end result. My Thanks, "Ron Jukes - Coventry

"Thanks Joan, The DVDs made from the film arrived last week in good condition and we are very happy with the results. Thanks for an excellent service."Declan Finan - Aberdeen

"I was pleasantly surprised at the quick turnaround and the quality of the translation is very good given the age and condition of my films. Thank you"Roy Sandwell - Newcastle upon Tyne